


(Un)Wanted Visitors

by lary



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Divergence - Avengers (2012), Crossover, F/F, Femslash, GT, Giantess - Freeform, Loki Does What He Wants, M/M, Macro/Micro, Plot, Shameless Smut, Slash, Strength Kink, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Warning: Loki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-21
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-07-25 18:15:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7542961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lary/pseuds/lary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Somebody has been transporting weapons into the Republic City. Korra is determined to find out who, even if she has to travel to another universe.</p><p>In the meanwhile, Tony would just like some peace and quiet. Okay, maybe that would be boring. Still. He didn't ask for any of this shit to be dumped on his doorstep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(Un)Wanted Visitors

**Author's Note:**

> A surprising (to me) amount of plot! Also, plenty of explicit sex between women and men, as per tags - meaning that both pairings feature prominently and pretty much equally :)

 

 

“That's it?” Korra frowned as she stared at the small circle which was glowing bright blue. It _was_ strange – the circle was the only thing they'd encountered in miles, everywhere around them was desert as far as the eye could see. Still. “Are you sure that's where all the rebel weapons have been coming from? How do you even fit a fighter plane through that?”

 

“The portal expands, of course. That is where the energy signal emanates from. Which I could've told you earlier, had you not wrongfully accused me.” Varrick shot her an offended glance. Behind him, Bolin imitated it, making Asami hide a grin behind her hand. Korra struggled to keep a straight face.

 

“Alright, sorry for doubting you. Do you know how we can get through?”

 

Varrick's offence was replaced by an excited grin. “I have used my time incarcerated to develop a way with a device made out of silk sheets, the skeleton of a chicken-trout, and a purple lampshade. Zhu Li, do the thing!”

 

Considering the somewhat dubious ingredients list, Korra thought the device looked much like a purple metal box. But it was definitely doing something, because as soon as Varrick's assistant pressed the red button in the middle of the box, the circle crackled with a deep blue energy that made the hair on her skin stand upright.

 

“Okay guys, ready to go?” she asked, turning to look at her friends.

 

“Of course,” Asami confirmed. The rebels had attacked her home, and she'd been forced to flee in one of her planes and watch helplessly as the mansion went up in flames. She was as eager to find the people responsible as Korra was. Bolin and his fire ferret Pabu both held two thumbs up. Korra grinned at them, the turned to Mako. “You good to guard the portal? Most of the rebels should be behind bars at this point.”

 

He gave her a solemn nod. “I'll be fine. If need be, I can contact Chief Beifong for reinforcements.”

 

“That's good. Varrick, we'll need the gun to get through, right?”

 

“Ah, yes.” He dug the gun out of his pocket and handed it to her with a bit of reluctance – no wonder, it was some kind of foreign technology. There weren't many floating around anymore, because the police had been confiscating as much rebel weaponry as possible. “It should help with ensuring you end up in the right universe, because it has already been sent through the portal once.”

 

Asami and Bolin gathered around the gun as they'd agreed, Bolin without his pet since it was too risky for Pabu to come with. Asami's palm came to rest on top of hers, soft and surprisingly cool. Which, Korra reminded herself, wasn't what she was supposed to be focusing on right now. “Bolin?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, eyeing the writing on the gun, before laying his hand on top of Asami's. “One question though. What if we don't find this Stark, whatever or whoever it is? I mean, who knows how big the universe on the other side is, and if anybody's even heard of Stark.”

 

Korra settled her jaw. “I'll take that risk. Now, on my three. One, two--”

 

Together, they stepped into the circle. At first, there was only the energy, which surrounded them in blue, thrumming against her skin. Then a strong force yanked them up, and they hurtled through dozens and dozens of bright colours. She held onto the gun, feeling Asami's tight grip on her hand, and tried to call her bending to her, but the grasp of whatever force they were in was too powerful. She started to panic, but as soon as it had started, the force released her once more, and she landed on her knees onto hard, grey ground. She panted for breath, vaguely aware of Asami and Bolin doing the same next to her. They were in the midst of a crowd, people rushing by seeming to pay them little attention beyond stepping past them, but she felt too winded to worry about it. Finally she called her airbending to her, relieved when it came easily, helping them up.

 

Bolin pocketed the gun and then grinned in awe at the massive, tall buildings all around them. “Wow, that's really something.”

 

Korra was about to agree, when Asami's hand gripped her arm. “Look!” she said, her green eyes alight as she grinned. “I don't think finding Stark will be a problem.”

 

Korra followed her gaze and laughed. On the wall of the tallest building they could see, there were huge, bright letters. They spelled STARK.

 

**

 

Fucking SHIELD.

 

Here you go, a character assassination that you never asked for, compiled by the spy we inserted in your company and in your home. To paraphrase, we think you're a gigantic narcissistic asshole. But guess what? We still won't leave you alone. Instead of letting you enjoy champagne and celebrate with your wonderful friend who has a schedule as crazy as yours so you never have time to see each other outside work, we're allowing you to provide your services, unpaid, to catch a guy we claim is an alien threat to humanity, on the basis that our agents were too useless to detain him. Also, you'll be working with the national icon we de-froze, the same one your father spent his evenings worshipping instead of giving a fuck of his actual family. Welcome on the team, Stark!

 

What a bunch of bullshit.

 

He was gonna go, alright, if only to piss off Fury. He was just about to don his suit, when JARVIS interrupted him. “Sir, Miss Potts on the phone for you?”

 

“Put her through.”

 

“Tony.”

 

“Hey Pepper. Don't tell me you've got another national emergency needing my attention. Quota's full for the day.”

 

“There's a woman downstairs, asking to have a word with you.”

 

Tony groaned. “Another ex-girlfriend? Please take a message and then delete it for me.”

 

“Nobody you've had sex with, believe it or not. But I think it's important. She says your weapons have been used to terrorise people where she's from. She's not a state's representative, her clan, maybe? I'm not quite sure.”

 

“Sorry. SHIELD's Alleged Present Alien Threat to Humanity beats random woman's Alleged Past Crimes Against Humanity. Gotta go.”

 

With that, Tony hung up and stepped into the suit, the red metal encasing him in familiar comfort. “JARVIS, let's go raise Fury's blood pressure.”

 

“Very well, Sir,” JARVIS responded, opening up the emergency exit he'd built in his workshop. Tony shot out into the welcoming skies, whooping as the repulsors gained him speed.

 

“The latest upgrades on aerodynamics really were genius. Think I could-- Whoa, what the hell?!” The suit was ripped off course by something that Tony imagined a tornado would feel like, and he plunged rapidly towards the ground. “JARVIS, any weird weather forecasts I should know about? Never mind, let's just focus on the landing!”

 

“My apologies, Sir, there seems to be unknown energy affecting the immediate area around the suit. Alert, high risk of crashing down in approximately 3.8 seconds.”

 

“Yeah, I can fucking see that,” Tony yelled, trying uselessly to wrench out of the swirl of air around him. He grimaced, trying to brace himself for the impact, but all of a sudden the wind vanished, barely leaving him enough time to get upright before he smacked into the ground. The suit absorbed the impact automatically, making him land on one knee, fist slamming on the ground. The adrenaline made him breathe hard, but there was no time to gather himself, because there was a screeching noise, JARVIS' urgent warning, and then the faceplate of his suit was ripped off.

 

Tony stood back up quickly, readying the repulsors in his palms, as well as the missiles on his shoulders, cursing the masses of people that were gawking at the spectacle. Were he to shoot at the two women in front of him, there was bound to be unacceptable collateral damage.

 

Neither of them seemed afraid of him, despite their young age. The black haired one tossed his faceplate to the side, an unfamiliar metal gauntlet in her hand, her face stern. The other had her arms crossed over her chest. She was wearing nothing but light pants and a tank top, with no weapons to be seen. She raised an eyebrow at him. “Still too busy to talk to me, Tony Stark?”

 

“Sorry, company policy is no recompense to people who attack me,” he quipped. “How did you do that anyway?”

 

The woman looked surprised. “Airbending. You don't have that here? At all?”

 

“Air-what?” Tony asked, but she got no chance to answer, because there was another, much more welcome voice.

 

“Another company policy is that all appointments with Mr. Stark are scheduled through me.”

 

The two women went down, and the Stark Industries security guys holstered their stun-guns. Tony smiled at Pepper, who hastened over to him, her heels clicking on the asphalt. “Tony, are you okay?”

 

“Better than. You're an angel, Pep.”

 

Pepper scowled at the women. “I swear she didn't seem delusional when I spoke to her.”

 

“We'll take it from here, Miss Potts, Mr. Stark,” one of the security guys said.

 

“Fine. I should go change into another suit and get going before Fury sends one of his lackeys to get me. Be sure to lock them up tight until SHIELD comes to collect, might be mutants or something, never seen anybody with those kind of powers.”

 

“Sure thing, boss.”

 

“Be careful, Tony,” Pepper said.

 

Tony saluted her with a grin. “Aren't I always?”

 

**

 

The power that had entered Midgard through the Tesseract soon after his own arrival was even more magnificent up close.

 

Loki could feel the power flow from the woman who was raising her hands to the air, fifty feet from where he was standing cloaked in his magic, and only a moment later he saw the effects, the Iron Man hurtling towards the ground. The power felt different from Seidr, more akin to the natural control Jotnar had over rock and ice.

 

The crowd that had gathered to watch gasped in unison when the Iron Man crashed to the ground, but Loki could feel the intent of the power in advance. He turned his attention to the young man only a few steps away, who was filled with similar power, only his felt more stable and calm, and less overwhelming. When Loki focused his senses towards him, he could feel the connection pulse down into the ground, and to a lesser extent to the buildings and cars, rather than reaching everywhere around him.

 

There were more surprised noises in the crowd, and the man started to push through the crowd, his power concentrating. “Hold on Korra, Asami, I'm coming!”

 

“Not so fast,” said Loki, allowing the man to notice him as he stepped up behind him and clamped his magic around them both, cutting off the power surge the man had been about to send towards the Iron Man and the now unconscious women. The ground under them settled.

 

The man was held in place seemingly by Loki's light touch on his shoulder, unable to step forward. Loki's magic strained at the control he was exerting over the Earth-Force, but holding the man himself still took comparatively little effort.

 

The man gaped at him. “What did you do? Are you the avatar in this world or something?” he demanded, panic in his eyes. “How did you take my bending?”

 

“Worry not. Your power is unaffected; I doubt I could strip you of it by means other than ending your life.” He knew not what an avatar was, but it was unimportant at the moment. The crowd was starting to disperse, moving restlessly around them, but Loki shrouded the other man with his magic and paid them no mind. “Fortunately for you, I am currently disinclined to do so.”

 

“Er... good, I guess. Listen, I don't know who you are or what you want, but you need to let me go, I have to help Korra and Asami. I promise I'll talk to you right after.”

 

The man seemed to mean it, too. Interesting. “On the contrary. Stark is a powerful adversary and you rushing in will merely serve to have you thrown into captivity alongside your friends. However, our interests align, since I am about to make Stark my enemy. As they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Loki was on nobody's side but his own, but the man seemed the type to fall for such tripe. “Stark and his allies will be travelling to Germany, where I shall soon be sighted.”

 

“Where's that?” Good, the man was listening now.

 

“It will take them close to eight hour's flight, but the distance is irrelevant to us, since I shall magically transport you with me.”

 

“So you'll help me fight Stark?”

 

Loki felt his lips twitch in amusement. “No. You are to help him apprehend me.”

 

“Huh? What good is that supposed to do for us?”

 

“The advantages for me are none of your concern. It will gain you the tentative trust of Stark's allies. They are a fractured group, unlikely to react well to the evidence you have against him.”

 

“What do you mean, evidence?”

 

Loki smirked, feeling genuinely amused when the man tried to back away from him. Loki had picked the Midgardian suit because made him look almost harmless, but it seemed his smile was still unnerving even to a stranger. “Why, that gun of course.”

 

**

 

She came to with a killer headache, lying on floor of what she suspected was a van of some kind although it didn't feel like they were moving. Asami panicked for a moment, but it abated as she saw Korra lying on her side just a few feet away, her chest moving with breath. Not dead then, that was the most important part. Additionally, they were only restrained by handcuffs which, though clearly well-made, wouldn't hinder either of them for long.

 

She was just about to get a feel for the lock, but a voice from behind her startled her into swirling around, crouching on her knees because she still felt woozy and the space wasn't quite high enough to stand in.

 

“Good, you're awake.” A rather large man seated near the doors to the car held his palms up in a non-threatening way. He was bald with a white beard, in his sixties in her estimation, wearing the kind of outfit that men seemed to favour in this universe – a simple black suit, but Asami recognised quality clothing when she saw it.

 

“Who are you? What do you want with us?”

 

“Nothing bad,” the man said, ignoring her first question. “However, I don't expect you to take my word for it. Here.”

 

To Asami's shock, the man dug a keyring out of his pocked and handed it to her. She took it suspiciously, but he made no move to stop her as she opened the cuffs and then moved to kneel beside Korra to release her wrists as well. Korra didn't stir, but Asami stayed beside her and threw back the keys.

 

“Thanks. May I ask why you did that?”

 

“Because you and your friend went against the man who tried to kill me.”

 

“What?” She hadn't been expecting that answer. The last she remembered was trying to talk to Stark before suddenly feeling a stab of pain and losing consciousness. “Do you mean Tony Stark?”

 

“Yes,” the man answered, with a bitter twist to his mouth. “Tony was like a son to me, but it all changed last fall. We worked together to lead Stark Industries, but he wanted me out when we didn't agree on the company direction. I tried to protect myself, but he is a genius and the suit he built is nearly unbeatable, so when he thought me dead, I went into hiding. I can show you the video, but perhaps we should wait for your friend to wake up.”

 

“I'm awake,” Korra mumbled. Asami leaned towards her eagerly, feeling relief course through her chest as she helped Korra sit up.

 

“You're alright?”

 

“Yeah, Asami, I'm fine.” Korra's quick smile reassured her further, and she sat back as Korra turned to their captor-turned-potential-ally. “If Stark's the one who caught us, how did we end up here with you? If you don't work with him anymore?”

 

The man smiled at Korra. There was something about the expression that made Asami feel unnerved for no reason she could pinpoint, and she frowned at herself. She probably needed to stop being so overprotective of the avatar. “As I told your friend, Tony and I used to be business partners. When I went into hiding, some of the Stark Industries employees remained loyal to me, and they alerted me about the confrontation today. I told the security to bring you here rather than let SHIELD get their hands on you. SHIELD is a governmental agency that works with Tony, and they would likely seek to experiment to find out more about your powers.”

 

“Do you then want to use us for your own ends?” Korra asked. There was something reassuring about the fact that she clearly wasn't ready to fully trust him either. Asami remembered Korra when they'd first met, before the messes with Equalists, and Asami's father, and Korra's uncle Unalak... They'd both been a lot less wary then. She supposed they'd been through too much.

 

The man raised his eyebrows at the sharp tone. “Not at all. However, I thought we might be able to help each other. Tony has a weakness I can tell you about. It's called an arc reactor, and he has it embedded in his chest. Moreover, I have access to a serum that would help increase your strength and help you battle Tony. One of his allies, Captain Steve Rogers, had it – even if you choose that you don't want it, knowing more can only help you. But I have no wish to keep you captive. You are free to leave anytime.”

 

As if to prove his words, he opened the doors of the van to a large underground space filled with several cars. Asami wished she had time to study them – the technology in this world was so much more advanced, but this wasn't the time. A few men in gear labelled as security backed away from the door when the man gave a nod to them.

 

“Could we have a moment?” Asami asked him. The man looked between them, then smiled in that unnerving way. Something about it reminded her about her father, and she hid a shiver.

 

“Sure. Follow me when you're ready,” the man said, stepping out of the van and ushering the men to walk before himself. “Let's give the ladies some privacy.”

 

“Of course, Mr. Stane.”

 

“Everything okay?” Korra asked her, looking worried. Asami shrugged and waited until the men were out of earshot.

 

“Yeah. It's just, are you sure we should trust this guy? We don't know anything about him.”

 

“I know, but at this point we can use all the help we can get.”

 

“I hope Bolin got away,” Asami sighed. “I think you're right. There's no harm in seeing what he has to say at least.”

 

“Yeah, it's not like I can't get us out of here anytime I want.” Korra smiled mischievously, and Asami couldn't help but smile back at her.

 

“There _is_ that.”

 

**

 

“So, a pretty impressive show you put on, Maleficent. In Germany, no less. Been reading up on Earth history?”

 

Loki only stared passively at him, but Romanov's irritated voice came from the cockpit. “Stop chatting up the prisoner, Stark.”

 

“Who am I supposed to chat up then?” Tony quipped back. “You're too much of a backstabbing bitch – no offence – and I'm pretty sure somebody's sensibilities will be offended if I flirt with a 90-year-old national treasure. Although if you're up for it, Stars and Stripes, I can initiate you to the mile high club right away.” Tony raised his eyebrows suggestively at Rogers, mostly to piss him off. What? The flight was boring as fuck.

 

Romanov didn't grace him with an answer, and Rogers' only reaction was a disapproving frown – his standard expression – before he went back to making small talk with the kid that had joined them in fighting Loki in Stuttgart. Romanov had insisted on picking him up, probably for SHIELD to keep an eye on him. Tony, for his part, couldn't have cared less about the guy's agenda, even though the kid did keep shooting weird looks towards him – all he wanted was to deposit the god, get back to his tower, and have a stiff drink.

 

He sighed in boredom and then took up studying Loki again. He failed to see why SHIELD wanted the guy so badly. Well, Tony could think of a few reasons, sure, but he doubted SHIELD had honed in on that bone structure or those hands or the piercing blue eyes that looked at you like they could read all your secrets. Those were hardly world-threatening qualities. Sanity-threatening at most.

 

Tony was pretty sure the guy had more Aces up his sleeve, of course. Catching him had been too easy. But that wasn't his problem.

 

“Is there something you want, Stark?” Loki asked suddenly, and Tony realised he'd been staring. He grinned.

 

“Always.”

 

Loki smiled, slow and seductive, staring at him contemplatively, and Tony was thankful that he didn't blush easily. He felt like he was being undressed by the man's piercing eyes – quite a feat when Tony was wearing a god-damn metal suit. It was making him uncomfortable. Certain parts of him, that was.

 

Their stare-off continued until Romanov made another sharp comment, at which point Tony gave her the finger but took the excuse to shift his attention off Loki. He was still hyper-aware of the god, even when he was arguing with Rogers. And when Big 'n Blond showed up to steal his prisoner – well. Tony never reacted well to people taking his stuff.

 

**

 

At first, Korra felt suspicious of their captor, Stane, but the man seemed to have meant it when he'd said that they were free to leave. He was polite, asking for their names but not prying into Korra's powers, which she appreciated. She figured bending wasn't common here, at least none of the guards of either Stark or Stane seemed to be able to do it.

 

Stane showed them the videos he'd promised. The serum was fascinating, how it had transformed a short, skinny man into a strong, muscled soldier. But the other video was more shocking, showing Stane fighting Stark in big metal suits, ending with Stane falling through a roof into a power supply of some kind. It was a miracle the man had survived. Korra could only imagine how it must have felt to have practically your son turn against you and try to kill you.

 

“I'll stop Stark, I won't let him hurt anybody else,” Korra vowed to Stane, who inclined his head.

 

“Thank you, Korra,” he said. “I'll go and prepare the serum. The lab is down this corridor.”

 

Asami still seemed wary, so Korra touched her lightly on the shoulder. “You don't have to do this, if you don't want to.”

 

The other woman pursed her lips, her eyes narrowing in determination. “No. I will follow you. You're right – we'll need all the help we can get if we're going to face Stark.”

 

Korra smiled. “Okay, let's go then.”

 

They walked to the lab and sat into the chairs Stane directed them to. Apparently they wouldn't need to get into the kind of metal capsule the soldier had been in when he'd received the serum, but she supposed it made sense that the technology had progressed in the decades Stane said had passed.

 

“Now, don't be worried if you feel no instant effects,” Stane said as his assistants took the syringes out of glass containers. Korra could see one of them walk to Asami, but she was distracted when the other assistant swiped her arm with some kind of cleaning liquid. Stane continued his explanation. “People react very individually. To some, like Steve Rogers, the effects are permanent. For others, they are triggered by strong emotion like anger.”

 

Korra flinched a little as the needle entered her arm and watched in fascination as the blue liquid started to flow through her veins. She could see it through her skin. It felt warm, intrusive. Her muscles felt like when she had been carrying something for a long time, except not tired. She couldn't see any difference in her body, though. “I don't think it's doing very much.”

 

“Mine is definitely working.” Asami's voice was strained, and Korra snapped her head towards her, feeling her heart start pounding at the sight. Asami was scrambling up from the chair, which suddenly seemed too small for her, and fell onto her knees on the floor. Korra hastened up and rushed to Asami, laying a hand on her shoulder, and she could feel it, the muscle growing and stretching under Asami's skin. The blue of the serum was not only flowing along her veins but spreading everywhere on her skin. Her forearm and hand were already blue, and Korra could see it creep up from her neckline and onto her other arm.

 

Asami was breathing fast, struggling to pull off her shirt, but she wasn't quick enough. There was a tearing noise as her clothes began to rip. Korra could see blue skin on her chest as the clothes became too small, not quite falling off her but not really covering much either. She glanced away hastily, feeling flustered.

 

“Will you get a blanket or something?” she snapped at the man closest to her, and then turned back to Asami. Modesty be damned, her friend needed her. “Does it hurt?”

 

Asami bit on her lower lip, her face scrunched up. “Yeah.”

 

Korra was handed a blanket by Stane, which she threw on Asami, before glaring at the man. “Can't we do anything?” she demanded.

 

Stane shook his head. “It will pass soon.”

 

“Don't worry,” Asami said, taking Korra's hand into her now much larger one. “I think it's over now.”

 

“It doesn't seem like you're growing anymore,” Korra noted, feeling the worry recede somewhat. Asami must have been at least twice her normal size. Korra had to admit she was striking like this, even moreso than usual. She had to look up to Asami's face though she was kneeling down. Korra felt small near her. She wasn't very used to the feeling, but it wasn't disconcerting, probably because it was Asami. She trusted her.

 

Asami squeezed her hand gently. “I'm alright, Korra.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah. Do I look very strange?” Asami wrapped herself in the blanket more thoroughly, and let her torn clothes fall on the floor one by one. “You don't seem any different.”

 

“I don't feel very different,” Korra said. There was still that warm feeling in her muscles, but other than that she felt the same as always. “And you look like yourself. You know, except blue and massive.”

 

“Thanks.” Asami's mouth quirked into a wry smile. The red of her lips was like blood against the blue skin, and her eyes were startlingly green.

 

“In a beautiful way, though.” The words were out of her mouth almost against her will, but she felt warmed when Asami's expression morphed into pleased surprise.

 

“You think so?”

 

 _Always_ , Korra thought, feeling her cheeks heat as she nodded.

 

“Well, that's good at least,” Asami said with a playful smile. “Shame though – I really liked those boots. I suppose I'll have to acquire a whole new wardrobe when I get home...”

 

Korra turned to Stane. “Did you know this would happen? Do you think it'll be permanent?”

 

“I didn't anticipate it, although effects of the serum have been very varied. And with this version of the serum, it is more common to have a transformation that is triggered by an emotional state, so I believe the effects will be temporary.” The man fixed his eyes on Asami, whose expression shifted to the cool politeness she used dealing with business partners and politicians. Korra could see she didn't like Stane, but the man continued on, oblivious. There was something greedy in his eyes which made Korra's hackles rise. “How were you feeling when you got the serum, Miss Sato? Were you experiencing any emotion particularly strongly?”

 

“Too many to name,” Asami replied shortly, then rose up in one fluid motion, the blanket still wrapped around her. Korra was momentarily distracted into gaping at Asami's height and the smooth, blue skin of her legs. Korra doubted she'd look anything as graceful if she was that large – probably hadn't months ago when she was fighting Unavaatu – but Asami somehow managed it, even though she had to stay on one knee because the room was too small to fit her height. She looked down at Stane with all her usual confidence and grace. “I shall need clothes, black or red preferably. I would appreciate your help in acquiring them, and also somewhere to rest in order to see whether the serum effects will pass with some time.”

 

Stane turned to one of his security guys. “Well, you heard the lady. Better get clothes in normal size as well, in case Miss Sato does shrink back to normal. Same for Korra – in fact, best to get something very stretchy in her current size, in case she has physical effects later. Also, prepare a room for our guests as best we can – order some proper mattresses and food and anything else they may require. Clear?”

 

“Yes, sir,” the man said nervously and skittered off.

 

Stane gestured to them. “Follow me. You may have the large meeting room for your use. The furniture will be unsuited for you, Miss Sato, but the ceilings are fifteen feet high – plenty of space to stand up freely.”

 

“Thank you,” Asami responded. Then she winked at Korra. “Just hope I can fit through the doorways around here.”

 

**

 

Oh, Stark was incensed.

 

Loki perked up, walking to the glass wall of his cell which Stark was striding purposefully towards, and stood hands clasped behind his back. He didn't bother to hide his interest. There was no reason to do so, especially since it would be taken as a ploy; the best lies were embedded in truth, after all. Stark was harder to predict than his allies, although Loki admitted that the Widow might have presented a challenge, had he not had access to Barton's memories of her.

 

“Who the hell was it?” Stark came to a stop a few feet from the glass, arms crossed over his chest. Loki raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious.

 

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Stark.”

 

“Sure, okay, then let me help you with that, Cheekbones. Firstly, I'm called to save the day because a powerful space-alien has used a powerful space-cube to teleport to Earth, where he's preceded to steal the cube for nefarious purposes, killing a bunch of people in the process.”

 

“Allegedly,” Loki inserted. Stark glared at him, brown eyes burning with anger. Loki licked his lips. He doubted Stark was even aware of the way his eyes momentarily flickered to follow the movement.

 

“Secondly,” Stark continued, ticking off points with his fingers. “I find out that SHIELD has been using the space-cube to make weapons. Thirdly, somebody has made similar weapons using _my tech_ and transported them to another realm or universe or whatever, again using the space-cube. Fury claims innocence, which I'm disinclined to believe, except I hate to think SHIELD would have been able to fuck my company so thoroughly without me even noticing, so I want to know who has been. You have the space-cube, and I want some answers.”

 

Loki put on his most innocent, guileless expression and spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness, rather enjoying the way Stark's eyes flamed in response. “Even if I wanted to help you, my beloved enemy, you have taken the sceptre, which is my only connection to the Tesseract. Perhaps studying it will offer you some answers.”

 

Stark grimaced. No matter how clever, a mortal with no magic could never hope to unearth the secrets of the Tesseract, and likely Stark and his ego knew it. “It's been too long a day to deal with this crap, so let's cut to the chase. I'm sure you could bust out of here anytime you want, so what's your angle? What do you want?”

 

 _Ah, perfect timing,_ Loki thought when an explosion hit the airship, making Stark stumble and grab a hold of a railing. There were pieces of metal breaking off the walls and ceiling, raining around him, and then a loud roar of the man-turned-into-a-beast. Loki left Stark no time to gather himself, shifting in space out of the glass cage to stand right in front of Stark, too close for comfort. He let a languid smile grace his lips. “Ask me again later.”

 

Loki allowed himself a moment to enjoy Stark's stunned expression before shifting in space again, away from the fleet and to the Tesseract. He had a glorious battle to arrange.

 

**

 

“It's a beautiful city. So many people, such massive buildings. Just think about how many people we could house in Republic City if we built something like that.”

 

Asami stood next to the windowsill where Korra was sitting and looked out. “I was thinking the same thing. Especially now that the spirit vines are all over the place, we desperately need good housing. Sato Industries could build the first one. I'm sure Varrick would want in on it, and with him I could get the president's support.”

 

“You'd still work with Varrick, after all he's done?” Korra asked. Asami gave a shrug.

 

“He's business-minded. He'll be useful enough as long as it benefits him.”

 

“I guess so,” Korra conceded. They went back to studying the view from the window side by side, occasionally pointing out whatever caught their eye. They were high up, and the view over the city was spectacular.

 

Asami wasn't sure she'd be able to get down in the same elevator they'd used to come up before the serum. It might not take her weight, even if she fit inside. She supposed she should be more concerned – she wasn't sure if she'd ever turn back to herself, after all. But her larger new body didn't feel as unfamiliar as she would have expected. Rather, she felt unrestrained, as if she was expressing some buried side of herself. She couldn't help but be unnerved by Stane, even if he was helping them, but in her larger size she felt reassured that she could protect herself and Korra from anything coming their way. Not that Korra couldn't take care of herself – Asami was well aware of her talents – but the instinct was still there.

 

Maybe she would have felt more self-conscious about the blue skin, or about towering over other people, but the way Korra kept sneaking shy glances at her dispersed any discomfort she may have had. Asami had wondered, sometimes, if Korra was attracted to her at all, but now it seemed almost like a silly question. Clearly she was, and if she liked Asami when she was large and blue, she probably liked Asami how she usually looked, too.

 

Or, well, how she had looked. She'd had to use the toilet earlier – rather an embarrassing challenge – and had studied herself in the mirror. She looked strange and startlingly different, but not in a bad way. If the change was permanent, she could learn to live with that. She still hoped she'd return to normal at least sometimes.

 

A knock on the double doors on the other side of the room startled her out of her thoughts.

 

“Come in,” Korra answered, hopping down from the windowsill when men came in carrying mattresses, walking over to help them. She started moving a wooden desk, which caused one of them to stop and look at her in confusion.

 

“You don't need to do that, madam,” he said, but took a step back when Korra's eyes flashed irritation. Asami smirked at his expression, and watched Korra lift the desk and move it to the side to make room.

 

Korra had grown up free of any of the kind of gendered expectations that seemed to be even more prevalent in this universe than they were in Republic City, at least Asami suspected from all of Stane's employees being male. Asami remembered the first time Korra had realised some Republic City police officers expected the Avatar to be weak just because she was a woman. Korra had challenged them to an armwrestling competition and won eight matches out of ten, much to the amusement of Asami and Mako who'd been watching. After that incident, Korra had been somewhat more conscious of the general attitudes in the City, but she still didn't quite understand them, taking disapproving comments about her strength as compliments. Asami liked that about her.

 

“Miss Sato? Here are some clothes for you. Please let us know if they need to be altered.”

 

“Thank you.” Asami turned away from Korra and her really nice muscles to the man speaking to her, and accepted the bundle of clothing. She supposed arranging the room would take a while, so she went to change in the too-small toilet, happy to find that the black t-shirt and simple black trousers fit her well enough. It wasn't the most attractive clothing she'd ever worn, but it would do.

 

Stepping back out of the toilet, Asami stopped short. There was yelling, Stane's men hastening towards the doors, but what caught her attention was Korra's voice, a pained sound coming from the centre of the room. Asami strode across the floor, putting her hands on Korra's shoulders calmingly. Korra was curled into a ball and her whole body trembled, growing and changing in front of Asami's eyes. “Breathe. It'll be over soon.”

 

Korra looked up at her, mouth pressed into a thin line as tears gathered in her eyes. Asami could feel the muscles grow under her palms, although Korra's skin didn't seem to be changing colour. Out of instinct, Asami put her arms around Korra, who whimpered and buried her head in Asami's chest, hands fisting in her shirt. Asami closed her eyes, feeling her heart ache as she held her friend through the transformation, not letting go until Korra spoke.

 

“I'm okay,” she said, and Asami pulled back reluctantly, taking in her changed appearance. It wasn't quite as strange, not after her own change, but it was still a shock. Korra was still a head shorter than her, probably something like ten feet, but her proportions had changed a lot. She was even more muscular now, with broad shoulders and hips. Asami felt herself flushing and turned to the pile of clothes she'd received. “Here, you better put these on.”

 

She watched rather guiltily as Korra shrugged off her torn clothes and pulled on the black garments similar to Asami's. She had to roll up the trouser legs and rip off the sleeves to make room for all the muscle on her shoulders and arms, but soon she was all dressed, practically vibrating with energy.

 

“What brought this on?” Asami asked.

 

“Look outside.” Korra pointed out the window, and only now did Asami notice that several of the buildings were on fire. She gasped when a small airship swept past the window, ridden by some kind of metal creature. “We have to go and help.”

 

Asami agreed, and together they broke through the window, Korra's bending catching them in the air and hurtling them towards a burning building.

 

**

 

Tony cheered as a Leviathan flew straight into the Hulk's fist and crumpled on itself. Tony's fanboy crush on the enormous green rage monster was getting more pronounced by the second. He'd have to come up with some way to get Banner to stay in New York. As soon as they'd taken care of Loki's army of space-fuckers, that was.

 

“Anybody near the Fifth? A group of of civilians fleeing from that direction, but--” Barton's sentence was cut off by a crashing sound and cursing. “Take that, alien asshole! And as I was saying before that rude interruption, I can't see what's going on from up here but looks like we should check it out.”

 

“Bolin, you're only a few block's away, right?” Cap asked the new kid, who Tony couldn't even hate anymore without feeling a stab in his conscience. His fucking tech, his fucking weapons used to kill civilians in yet another place.

 

“Uh, which way is the Fifth? Agh-- Sorry, trying to drop a giant boulder on a lizard-snake dude.”

 

Tony changed his course drastically, causing two Chitauri ships to collide with each other, while shooting the third one following him out of the air. “I'm on it, O' Captain My Captain.”

 

He flew towards the Fifth, with perfect timing to see Romanov punch out a bunch of chitauri warriors. Tony sent a repulsor blast at the one advancing her as he passed.

 

“Thanks for the help I didn't ask for or need,” she commented dryly as she moved to evacuate civilians from the area.

 

“My pleasure. You know what a team player I am, always ready to help,” Tony quipped. “Anybody else need-- Holy shit! JARVIS!” He had to turn swiftly to the right to avoid a large rock flying past him.

 

“Stark?”

 

Tony dodged a blast of fire that hit a flying chitauri ship, sending it barrelling towards the ground. “Little busy, Cap. Hey, anybody have eyes on my favourite scientist? Hulk still green and male?”

 

“How close a look do you need exactly? Because I'm not sure I'm into that.”

 

“Cut the chatter, Hawkeye. Iron Man, what's the situation?”

 

“One of those pain in the ass transport ships has landed here, there's at least eighty Chitauri, plus a few of those flying bastards. But we've got help.” Tony shot missiles at the nearest aliens and flew closer to the huge woman currently hurling an alien into a Volvo, both collapsing into a heap of metal. “Wait, she looks familiar.”

 

Tony silenced the team comms, cutting off Cap's questions. “JARVIS, get me Fury on the line.”

 

“Stark, what do you want?” Fury answered after only a few moments. JARVIS could be insistent. “Don't you have more important things to do right now?”

 

“Than talking to you? Always. Quick question, though – is SHIELD always this incompetent at holding prisoners?” Tony took his anger out on some more space-aliens. They were a higher priority than the woman who'd attacked him earlier, but he was keeping an eye on her, too. So far it didn't look like she'd noticed him flying above, preoccupied with smashing Chitauri, which was fortunate. The weird magic mojo had been bad enough without Million Dollar Baby being almost Hulk-sized, and Hulk-strength by the looks of it. It would have been sort of hot if she hadn't been an enemy. To be honest, it still kind of was.

 

Fury was growling in his ear. He sounded pissed off, which was kind of his default setting, so Tony brushed it off and interrupted the man's tirade. “Tell me you've at least still got the other woman I asked you to keep a hold of.”

 

“Who? You haven't asked me anything.”

 

“Fine, technically Pepper asked, but you should know that Pepper is me in any inter-organisational communication I don't feel like doing – which is pretty much any of it.”

 

“Believe me, Stark, I will take talking to Miss Potts any day over dealing with your sorry ass--”

 

“That makes two of us.”

 

“--but she hasn't been in contact with SHIELD for days.”

 

“What?” Tony would've caught a Chitauri spear in the back if it hadn't been JARVIS' quick thinking, but he barely noticed. Fear was balling up in his chest. “Gotta go.”

 

“Thank God for that,” he heard before the call disconnected.

 

“JARVIS, Pepper, now.”

 

“Of course, Sir.”

 

There had never been longer ten seconds, and Tony was just about to leave the alien swarm to the giant chick when Pepper picked up. “Tony? Why are you calling – you're not dying, are you?”

 

The relief was palpable, and he grinned. “Nah, everything's peachy. Just wanted to hear your lovely voice.”

 

“Tony,” Pepper said warningly.

 

“Right, okay, down to business.” Good thing he had a legitimate excuse for calling. “Did you ask Fury to contain our guests from yesterday? Because one of them is currently kind of massive and smashing aliens right below me. I'm thinking Hulk would like this girl.”

 

“That's very weird, I haven't heard anything about them escaping. Fury never answered my email either, which I thought was because his time was taken by the alien situation. But our security should have organised the transport and informed me about any problems. I'll look into it.”

 

“Thanks, Pep.”

 

“Stay safe Tony.”

 

“Yes, mom.” He hung up and sent a bunch of aliens flying with missiles. One of them refused to stay down, and Tony swooped down, readying his repulsors, but suddenly something slammed into him from the side.

 

“Sir, the suit damage is now at nine per cent.”

 

“Thanks, JARVIS, but instead you could tell me what the hell that was!”

 

There was no answer, because at the same moment he was pushed into the ground and his faceplate was ripped off for the second time in as many days. And the person was the same too, figured. Although she had also gotten an extreme makeover, and was now massive and blue. Apparently needed no gauntlet either.

 

The dust and smoke from burning chitauri made it hard to talk, and his voice came out gravelly. “Seriously, could you stop doing that? Do you know how much one of those things cost? Not that I can't afford it, but it's just rude.”

 

“No.” The woman smiled. It wasn't a very nice smile, at least not from somebody who was enormous and hell bent on destroying his suit. “But if you take off the rest of your armour, I won't rip it off.”

 

“One thing you should know about me, Mystique, is that I don't respond well to threats.” Tony activated all the thrusters at the same time. At least two were clearly offline, but the rest still gave him enough power that he was able to slip out of her hold, and he shot upwards out of range. He needed to get back to the Tower. The suit was fucked, in no condition to fight either his attacker or the Chitauri, and with the faceplate he'd lost the connection to JARVIS and his comms.

 

Before he could get far, though, something seized his suit. There was no wind, but the thrusters were having no effect, and he was being gradually lowered back to the ground, as if he was paralysed. There were Chitauri bodies all around, but no live ones. The two women stepped closer, towering over him. The muscled one had her hands raised in front of her, like she was controlling the suit with her mind. God-damn magic voodoo bullshit.

 

“I gave you the chance, now we'll have to do this the hard way,” the blue one said, crouching down before him. She was still larger than he was, her hands the size of his head, and Tony felt his heart beat faster when she took hold of the collar of the suit.

 

“Your villainess talk needs some work,” Tony said, but she ignored it, ripping a part of his chest armour off in one powerful motion. It was probably easier when the suit was already as banged up as it was, but she was still crazy strong. Without the suit she could pretty easily squish him like a bug, not to mention her friend who could've put any pro-wrestler to shame.

 

“Stop! Asami!” a male voice suddenly yelled from their right.

 

The woman's hands halted, hovering over his shoulder. “Bolin?”

 

Tony craned his head to see, taken aback, surprised. “New kid?”

 

“Yeah... hi,” he said sheepishly as the blue woman – Asami, apparently – stood up and strode over to wrap her arms around him. To Tony that hug seemed like an unnecessary logistical nightmare, but if it got the enormous woman away from him, he was all for it.

 

“I'm so glad you're okay,” the other one said.

 

“Thanks, Korra. You can let Stark go, he didn't make the rebel weapons. Also, since when can you metal bend? That's so cool! And wow you guys are huge!”

 

“I just found out I can,” Korra said. “Comes in handy.”

 

“What do you mean he didn't make the weapons?” Asami asked. “Are you sure?”

 

“Yeah, he was really angry to find out that somebody had used his technology for that.”

 

“That's true,” Tony piped up. “Except for the past tense, still really fucking pissed off, and the alien invasion is the only reason I'm not putting everything into finding out who the fuck did right away.”

 

The two women exchanged glances. Korra was still holding him in place with a frown on her face. “There's something else, too, though. You... killed a man using that armour. We saw a recording.”

 

“Gotta be more specific than that, I'm afraid, I've fought a bunch of bad guys in the suit. And, unlike the deaths caused by weapons I made before I got out of business, those I don't regret.”

 

She raised an eyebrow, her face darkening. “And what about Stane?”

 

Tony could feel blood draining from his face. “How do you know about that?”

 

“Doesn't matter. How do you explain that? Was he a 'bad guy' too?”

 

Tony laughed humourlessly, which seemed to startle the women. “You could say that.”

 

**

 

“So what happened to you two?” Bolin asked as he threw rocks at two Chitauri.

 

Korra shot fireballs at the other two, rolling out of the way when one of them tried to shoot back at her. The rhythm of fighting with Bolin felt a lot like their pro-bending fights. “You remember the man we talked about with Stark earlier? Stane?”

 

“Yeah, the business partner that betrayed him.”

 

“He's not dead.”

 

“What?”

 

“He's the one who helped us. We were taken to him instead of Stark's, and he gave us this serum for strength.”

 

“A serum for-- whoa, that's awesome!” Bolin exclaimed as Korra metal-bended a wing of a ship out of shape, causing it to crash down. Korra grinned to herself. She was getting the hang of this. There were enemies pouring out of the ship, and they were both preoccupied with fighting for a while, before Bolin spoke up again.

 

“So you just took some drug he gave to you? And how come Asami is still huge and you're not anymore?”

 

Korra had shrunk back soon after Stark had led her, Asami, and Bolin to the Tower. Stark had kept on a continuous stream of chatter while changing into an unharmed armour. With Bolin chiming in, between them it had become clear that Stark was indeed not responsible for the production of the rebel weapons even though they bore his name. It also seemed that key factors had been left out by Stane, who had betrayed Stark and made several attempts on his life, before the events of the recording Stane had showed them had taken place.

 

Asami had seemed to become more upset as Stark's story progressed, and she'd been mostly quiet ever since. Korra had only later come to think of Asami's father, that she could probably relate to Stark and felt really bad for him. Korra wished she knew how to offer comfort, but she hadn't gotten a chance to. Asami also tended to become somewhat withdrawn when she was angry or sad, and Korra didn't really know how to approach her then. Bolin was easy in that way, he showed his emotions openly with friends, and Korra could always get Mako to talk while training together. Asami, however, was a pretty private person and Korra hadn't yet figured out how to support her.

 

Korra hadn't had a chance to talk with Asami after finding out about Stark, to try to decide what to do. Her first instinct had been to tell Stark that Stane had survived, but clearly the alien threat had been more pressing. Besides, she didn't want the death of either man on her conscience, and she suspected Stark would have gone after Stane immediately.

 

Korra's anger at Stark had dissipated with the new information, and that seemed to be the triggering emotion for her transformation. Shrinking had felt just as unpleasant as growing had, but being her usual size was rather more practical, and bending was enough to help with the battle between the humans and the Chitauri that were apparently invaders from space.

 

Korra shook herself out of her thoughts. “He seemed like he wanted to help us to take on Stark, but he only told us that Stark had tried to kill him, I had no idea of the rest of it. Anyway, the serum took effect later for me than Asami, she transformed immediately. Mine only happened when I got angry, when I saw the Chitauri destroying buildings outside. Stane had warned us the serum might work like that.”

 

“So do you think Asami will stay like that then? Is she okay?”

 

“I don't know,” Korra admitted, worry twisting her stomach. “She's Asami – she's stoic. She doesn't seem to mind, but I'm not sure how she's feeling. We haven't really had time to talk after--” Korra's train of thought was derailed when suddenly the Chitauri she was throwing fire towards fell down to the ground in a heap of metal. There were crashing noises all around them as the same happened to the other Chitauri fighters. “What just happened?”

 

“Look!” Bolin pointed towards the sky. “The portal is closing!”

 

“It's like all of them had their strings cut.”

 

There was a roar from the East, and Korra glanced at Bolin, who was looking slightly worried. “That was the Hulk. I hope everybody's alright.”

 

Aside from Stark, Korra hadn't met the team, but she'd fought next to some of them and Bolin had told her about the rest. She agreed. They started making their way towards the noise, but they'd only walked for a few blocks when a large blond man in a silver armour and a red cape swept down from behind a building and landed in front of them.

 

“Thor!” Bolin exclaimed, and them man clapped him on the shoulder forcefully.

 

“Come, shield brother and sister! Let us meet friend Stark at his Tower to capture my brother and put an end to this.”

 

The man offered to fly them, and Bolin wrapped an arm around his shoulders without hesitation. Korra declined, and grinned as Thor shot to the sky and Bolin whooped in delight. She wrapped her air-bending around her and followed, feeling a spark of relief as they got closer and she spotted Asami's blue form next to the Hulk's, even taller than the green man. Once they'd imprisoned the wannabe conqueror, they would finally have some time together.

 

**

 

It felt like every bone and muscle in his body was aching. The green beast was a formidable opponent, but that was what Loki had been counting on. The mortals might have been content to underestimate him, but Thor knew him too well, and would have seen through a defeat and surrender that seemed too easily accomplished.

 

The door to his cell – stone and metal this time – opened with a loud bang. Loki didn't bother to turn his head, staring at the opposite wall. Whoever it was would be forced to walk inside the cell if they wanted him to look at them.

 

“So. We've stopped your little world domination shtick and defeated your little army. As I said, not a great plan, pissing us off.”

 

Ah, Stark. Not very surprising. The man did seem to love the sound of his own voice – what better time for him to pay a visit than when Loki was muzzled.

 

“Thing is, Princess of Darkness, the whole thing doesn't make much sense. Unless you're not that smart and really underestimate humans – which, you've talked a good game, I'll give you that much, but I'm not buying it. See, the way your brother talks about you, the way SHIELD are afraid of you – I'm thinking you've gotta be smarter than that.”

 

Loki was startled when Stark stepped up to him and kneeled, taking a hold of his shackles and beginning to work them open with the tools he'd brought in a bag. Loki held still, observing the man who kept on talking. “Now, I'm taking a risk on you here, but if I'm reading this wrong and you go back to your plan of taking over the world, you can bet your sweet ass that we'll stop you just like last time. In fact, you got off easy, because the big guy isn't the only one who'd be happy to show you who's the boss. Barton is out for blood and Romanov protects her own. So when I get these off, it would be in your best interests to put your effort into something else. Also, you'll owe me.”

 

Stark abandoned the wrench and screwdriver, instead digging into his bag for something that looked like a power saw of some kind. Loki wasn't overly familiar with Midgardian tools, but he was reasonably certain that if anybody could get him free of the All-Father's shackles without using magic, it was Stark.

 

The man halted before powering up the thing, staring Loki right in the eye. “I want to know who's behind the unauthorised weapon trade. Either you know or can find out. I give you freedom, you help me out – deal?”

 

How endearing, trying to gain a promise from the God of Lies. Loki tilted his head to the side, extending his wrists towards Stark. The man wouldn't have come here if he wasn't already set on his plan.

 

Stark snorted. “Wouldn't hurt you to not be an asshole to people who are trying to help.”

 

Loki batted his eyelashes in a parody of innocence and Stark set to work with a roll of his eyes. It took him about twenty minutes and several tries, but finally his wrists came free. Stark started saying something about working on the muzzle but Loki ignored him and brought his hands up, wrapped his magic around it, and sent the blasted thing to Hel where it belonged.

 

“Allow me to show my gratitude, Stark.”

 

Loki did not waste a moment, merely stood up and wrapped his fingers around Stark's wrist, firmly enough that Stark's attempt to pull away was useless. His magic enveloped them with ease – the man's presence was pleasing, the final sign of the attraction and desire he'd already felt building, which he let settle inside himself, for this was not the time to act on it – and shifted them both out of the cell and onto the busy street where he'd felt the Tesseract energy concentrate and form a portal. He kept them cloaked in his magic, since he wanted neither the attention of the Mad Titan nor the All-Father, and he supposed Stark with his reckless nature would also benefit from stealth.

 

“Fucking hell, give a guy a warning,” Stark grumbled, one hand raised to his chest and the other still holding the tool he'd been using. His muscles stiffened when Loki stepped closer, unbothered with personal space, and gently guided him to look towards a large building with rows and rows of windows. The shorter man felt solid and warm against him.

 

“This is where you are looking for, I believe,” Loki murmured, not missing Stark's slight shiver. Stark might think of him as an enemy, but his body's reactions were telling. Before Stark could react, Loki shifted them once more, this time to the Tower balcony, holding onto Stark for a moment too long before allowing the man to stumble away from him. Stark reached for the railing to support him – understandably, since the magic must have been leaving its mark on his mortal body.

 

“Son of a bitch. Remind me never to ask any more help from you.”

 

“Ah, but when you have the favour of a god, you shall have no need to ask.” Loki smirked and gathered his magic back to himself, leaving only a thread of connection between them as he shifted away from the building and, with some deliberation, to a remote part of Norway which had been mountains and forest when he last visited.

 

Gathering his bearings, he was glad to find the area untouched. He begun to walk leisurely amongst the tall trees, allowing his magic to spread and soak in the peaceful isolation of being surrounded by less complicated life forms. The smells of old forest and rock were comforting and familiar, and for the first time in a long while he felt something akin to contentment.

 

In the void, and after, Loki had lost sight of it, but it was slowly coming back to him that he still had places he could belong – Asgard had long since ceased to be his home, after all.

 

He'd need to visit Alfheim soon. There was little love lost between Odin and Frey, and the Elves resented the All-Father's imposed control over their realm. And there was Midgard, a realm he had only infrequently visited, but it seemed it had something unexpected to offer, if only to amuse him for a short while.

 

He was still healing, from the beast's treatment as well as from the deeper wounds dealt by the Mad Titan, and he could not anticipate swift results. Surely there was no harm in exploring Midgard in the meanwhile. And if a part of his motivation was to explore a certain mortal – well, Loki had never had compunctions about pursuing something he wanted.

 

**

 

“Asami. Are you awake?”

 

“Yes. Trouble sleeping?” She'd heard Korra shifting around restlessly in her bed. Asami was dead tired, and Korra must have been as well. She finally had a couple of sturdy mattresses to sleep on, but it had been a long and strange day and it was weird being in Stark's Tower. There was that robot butler, too, who seemed oddly human. She couldn't quite shake the feeling of being watched.

 

“Yeah. I keep thinking about the battle, and Stark, and the rebels. We still don't know who provided the weapons. Stark was our only lead. I'd hate to go back empty handed.”

 

“I know what you mean, but Stark seemed pretty set on finding out the people responsible. There's nothing we can do about that today, anyway.”

 

“I guess you're right,” Korra huffed.

 

There was a silence for a while, before Asami broke it hesitantly. “Korra?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Would you sleep next to me tonight?” Asami felt her heart beat nervously in her chest as she awaited Korra's answer. It shouldn't have been all that big of a deal, asking, but it seemed so intimate, in the dark like they were.

 

“Sure, yeah, I mean, if you want me to,” Korra blurted out, and Asami could hear her getting up. She felt weirdly reassured that Korra seemed nervous, too. “Where do you-- um.”

 

“Just come over here?” Asami shifted towards the wall to allow Korra room. She felt the mattress tip, but there was almost too much room, even with Asami being so large. She still hadn't shifted back, was starting to doubt it would happen at all.

 

She reached over tentatively, laying her hand over Korra's shoulder lightly. Korra wasn't in any way delicate, but her massive size still made her feel wary of being too rough. “Is this alright?” she almost whispered.

 

“Of course,” Korra said, sounding surprised, and then she was moving, shifting over closer to Asami. The sliver of city lights from the window allowed her to see Korra's face only vaguely, but Asami could tell Korra was smiling as she touched her back, running her palm up her bare arm. It felt startlingly good, not in the way their casual touches were good – this made her feel breathless and electrified and want to get as close as possible.

 

She slid her hand from Korra's shoulder down her back, and the small _ah_ noise she got in response gave her courage to do it again, slower, to really feel the warm muscle through Korra's shirt, her slight waist. She halted when her fingers met bare skin between Korra's shirt and underwear, but before she could pull back, Korra spoke quietly. “Please?”

 

Asami's breath caught, and she gently trailed her fingertips on the bared skin, dipping then under the shirt and gradually pushing the fabric upwards until she could spread her hand nearly all the way across Korra's stomach. Korra squirmed, and then suddenly sprung onto her knees and leaned closer to Asami, who closed the distance between them, pressing her lips against Korra's.

 

They'd shifted, she was leaning over Korra, braced on her elbow. Korra was all tightly packed strength, Asami knew, but she still seemed small and fragile below her. Her hand rose automatically to tangle into Korra's hair, and Korra whimpered, lips parted against hers. Asami licked between them, feeling Korra's warm tongue meet hers, making Asami's blood surge. She broke the kiss, feeling light-headed and breathless.

 

“I don't want to hurt you.”

 

“Don't worry, you won't,” said Korra. Asami raised both eyebrows at her, moved her hand down Korra's arm, and wrapped it around her wrist, holding her hand in place. She felt heat gather in the pit of her stomach at the way Korra's breath caught.

 

“I'm so strong like this, I could break something by accident and not even realise.”

 

Korra's blue eyes met her gaze, determined. “You're forgetting I don't break easy. Come on, Asami. I have my bending, I can get away anytime I want. But I trust you. I know you don't want to hurt me. And your strength--” Asami could see Korra blushing even in the relative darkness. “--I kind of like it. It's a little weird, because I don't think I'd feel that way with a guy, but I'm not sure it's that or if it's just you.”

 

There was a warmth blooming in her chest at Korra's words, making her smile. She caressed Korra's stomach, feeling muscles flutter under her palm, then slid upwards to touch Korra's breast softly. “Is this okay?”

 

Korra laughed breathlessly. “More than okay.”

 

Asami took her at her word, let her fingers explore on Korra's warm skin and rub over her nipple, arousal spiking at Korra's reactions. She seemed open about her pleasure in bed, just like she almost always was with her emotions.

 

“You can do that harder,” Korra said and moaned as Asami twisted a nipple between her fingers.

 

“Take this off?”

 

Korra complied eagerly, pulling the shirt over her head, and Asami crawled on top of her, one hand wrapping around both of Korra's wrists and holding them over her head. Asami wondered if her size made her seem imposing to Korra when she was above her, but based on Korra's flustered expression, she was not at all opposed. Asami traced her other hand over Korra's breast, cupped it, and then leaned down to lick and suck on her nipple. Korra moaned and arched up on the bed, and Asami slid a hand underneath her back, pulling her body closer. She could feel the hard muscles move under Korra's skin. She liked Korra's strength, the hardness and softness of her body, but at the same time it gave a surge of possessive desire to be able to spread her fingers nearly across Korra's whole back.

 

She kept teasing Korra's nipples with her mouth, lost herself in the sounds of Korra's pleasure, feeling her own arousal build up but not caring, too preoccupied with how the other woman writhed and squirmed below her. She only pulled back when Korra breathed out her name. “Asami?”

 

“Yes? You alright?”

 

“Very,” Korra smiled, a little bit shy. “Just, could take some more clothes off?”

 

Asami bit her lip, desire flaring up inside her. Her voice sounded thick and low to her own ears. “Sounds good.”

 

Korra pulled down her underwear unselfconsciously, and Asami felt herself itching to touch, but she restrained herself enough to raise up and shed her own clothes. She was already so strangely accustomed to her new appearance that only afterwards did it occur to her that she looked very strange. But when she met Korra's eyes, they were full of attraction.

 

“Come here,” Korra said, and Asami climbed back over her, gasped as Korra lifted herself to sit on the bed and reached to touch her breasts in turn. “You're so beautiful,” Korra murmured, and Asami had to lean down, near enough to kiss her. It was one thing that Korra was unbothered by her blue skin and her large size, it was another to get such clear adoration from her.

 

Korra responded to the kiss with her whole body, her hands coming to wrap around Asami's neck. Korra's tongue was hot and agile, her kiss hungry, and her body radiated warmth. Asami let her hand slide lower along Korra's sides, on her legs, which parted in clear invitation.

 

“Are you sure?” Asami murmured and waited for Korra's enthusiastic and rather impatient confirmation before moving her hand between Korra's thighs, sliding a finger to touch, close and intimate, her touch finding Korra slick and warm. It was a little different doing this now, with her size, but Korra's whimpers and breathless moans soon made it clear how she liked to be touched, gently at first and then with more pressure, until she pulled Asami into another kiss and whimpered against her lips as her pleasure built into orgasm.

 

“More?” Asami asked. Korra was breathtaking in her pleasure, making her come filled Asami with gratitude and fondness and possessive satisfaction that she got to see Korra in such an intimate way, got to give her that sensation, that oblivion of bliss.

 

“Thanks,” Korra replied. “Not right away, though. I want to touch you.”

 

“Yeah,” Asami breathed out. “Okay.”

 

She gave Korra a quick kiss and shifted to lie on her back, feeling suddenly slightly shy. Korra, however, made that feeling dissipate quickly when she followed and climbed on top of her, straddling her waist and looking her over. “You look so good.”

 

“Asami couldn't help but lift her hands to Korra's face, stroking gently at her skin. Korra felt light on top of her, a warm weight on her belly. “You too.”

 

“Thanks,” Korra said, squirming and blushing a bit still, but also grinning. “That's cheating, though, it's supposed to be my turn to touch you.”

 

Asami smirked but lowered her hands down and put them behind her head. “Sorry.”

 

“That's more like it.” Korra had laughter in her voice. Asami's response caught in her throat as Korra's hands moved to her breasts and she leaned down to take one of her nipples in her mouth. It was a wonderful feeling, which she hoped she'd be able to enjoy for a long time some day, but she was already feeling on the edge now that her focus had shifted from pleasuring Korra.

 

“I-- oh, that's nice, feels lovely, but maybe you could, um, skip a little lower?”

 

“Really?” Korra smiled, and Asami felt relieved that she didn't seem to have taken the request in the wrong way. Korra scraped one of her nipples lightly with her teeth, making her squirm. “Getting impatient?”

 

“Yes,” Asami stated. Korra laughed but scooted down, and Asami quickly parted her legs to give her space to kneel between them. She leaned on her elbows to keep looking at Korra, anticipation and excitement heightening her arousal and making her even more eager for touch, then pulled a bunch of bedding behind her back to offer some support.

 

Korra was at first careful as she ran her hands up Asami's thighs, glancing hesitantly at her, but when Asami gave her an encouraging smile, she finally slid her fingers where Asami most craved her touch. She spread her legs wider as Korra's fingers rubbed over her clit, and then there was the warm, wet heat of Korra's mouth, and all other thoughts were driven out of her head. She could only moan, her leg muscles trembling with the effort to keep still. Her fingers tangled in Korra's hair, she loved the feel of it, loved Korra's mouth on her, loved Korra's clear enjoyment of what she was doing. Asami felt herself shiver, pleasure gathering and radiating through her body until she felt like she was about to burst.

 

Asami caught her breath. “Will you-- ahh-- would you give me your fingers again? Please?”

 

“Like this?” Korra asked, and seemed to take Asami's moans as confirmation, because she kept touching her with increasing pressure until Asami felt her orgasm wash over her, trembling with the waves of pleasure. Korra kept touching her all the way through, slower but with pressure that make her shiver and pant.

 

Finally she stilled Korra's hand with her own. “That's enough. Thank you.”

 

Korra smiled at her brightly, then crawled up until she could reach Asami's face and kiss her, long and slow. Asami could taste herself on Korra's lips, which she became an immediate fan of.

 

“My pleasure,” Korra finally replied. “I've kind of wanted to do that for a really long time.”

 

“To me, or in general?” Asami asked curiously.

 

“I've had occasional fantasies about women for a long time, but most of them have been about you ever since we met, especially after we've gotten closer.” Korra bit her lip, adorably. “Was it alright?”

 

Asami couldn't help but laugh. “You couldn't tell? Try very, very good. Brilliant. Wonderful.”

 

Korra grinned and shoved her on the shoulder, which wasn't very effective at all. Asami just had to kiss her again, and that one gathered more heat before they broke apart.

 

“So,” Asami said. “You ready for some more?”

 

Korra laughed. “We should probably get some sleep. I remember being totally beat only about an hour ago... Not so much now. Strange, isn't it?”

 

“Mystery,” Asami grinned. “You're probably right about sleeping, as much as I hate to admit it. Whatever happens with Stark's research, tomorrow is likely to be another long day.”

 

“Yeah. Um, do you think we should put some clothes on, if we're going to stick to sleeping?”

 

Asami smiled, feeling satisfied and playful. She pulled Korra into an embrace. “Don't even think about it. Now that I have you naked in the same bed – or mattress – I'm not sure I want you to ever get dressed again.”

 

Korra giggled and squirmed to make herself comfortable. “Just go to sleep, will you?”

 

Asami shifted them more so that Korra was the little spoon. She felt deeply content, to wrap her body around Korra – felt herself relaxing into it, knowing that she could shield Korra from anything. It was a strangely persistent sentiment, especially in this universe foreign to them, but she didn't feel like arguing with her brain again. Instead she laid a kiss on top of Korra's head. “Good night.”

 

“Good night, Asami.”

 

**

 

Fucking SHIELD.

 

It took Tony half a night and five cups of coffee to find the protections around the files, followed by double the amount of time to break them. Since then, he'd had JARVIS sort through the files, which had been going much quicker. There were no names, but it was clear SHIELD had known all along that somebody'd gotten their dirty mitts on Tony's designs, and was by the looks of it using some SI facilities as well. He very badly wanted to punch Fury in his one remaining eye right about now. If the person responsible turned out to be Justin Hammer, he absolutely would.

 

“JARVIS, collect all the details for later. Time to hit that place God of Horns and Leather showed us.”

 

“Sir, as you have no data on the opposition, may I suggest alerting the Avengers for backup--”

 

“Nope. Spy Twins are under Fury's thumb, no way they didn't know about this, or Romanov at least. Point Break's bound to find out I busted out his baby brother, so I'm not asking for any favours. It was hard enough to convince Banner to stay, he's been used enough and I don't want him thinking that's why I want him here, and no way I'm going with Captain Goody Two-Shoes.” Tony stepped in place and spread his arms for the suit to assemble around his body. “Don't worry, J, daddy can take care of himself.”

 

“Of course,” JARVIS said dryly. “However, I must point out there is also the option of your other guests. Being from another universe, they have no allegiances to SHIELD, and would most likely appreciate the opportunity to detain whoever has been transporting weapons to their home world.”

 

“That's actually not a bad idea.”

 

“I aim to please.”

 

“Don't sass me, J, just wake them up and tell them they've got ten minutes to meet me on the balcony or I'll go without them.”

 

“Very well, Sir.”

 

**

 

“Stark? Did you find out who made the weapons?” Korra asked as soon as she got to the balcony. Stark standing in his armour near the ledge, Bolin already with him even though she and Asami had hastened to dress and head up as soon as Stark's mechanical servant woke them.

 

“Not who, but where. C'mon.” Stark activated his armour and shot to the sky, flying out into the City.

 

“Want to airbend us?” Bolin asked.

 

“Sure.”

 

“I'll meet you there,” Asami said with a smirk, and then leaped from the balcony towards the nearest building, hauling herself easily to the roof and running to the same direction Stark had flown to.

 

“Wow,” Bolin commented, his eyes bright and round.

 

“Yeah,” Korra agreed, then dragged her eyes off Asami's body and lifted them both up, heading towards Stark, whom she could see circling a building in the distance.

 

They landed on a rooftop near Stark just before Asami, who grinned at them. Korra grinned back. “Beat you.”

 

“Not by much,” Asami said, then turned to Stark. “So, near here?”

 

“Right there.” Stark pointed towards a building. Korra's smile fell off her face, realisation like a slap to the face. She looked at Asami, who seemed equally surprised.

 

She only had time to feel a spike of anger, and the next moment her whole body burned as the transformation was taking over. She fell on her knees, trying to hold the scream in.

 

“Are you alright?” Bolin asked, but Korra closed her eyes and held onto Asami who wrapped her arms around her.

 

“What is it?” Stark demanded, his voice distorted by the armour.

 

Korra ignored him, until the pain vanished as suddenly as it had begun. She got up, now only slightly shorter than Asami and much broader, looking down at the two men. Bolin was staring at her in fascination, but she supposed he hadn't seen her in her larger body as much as Asami. Korra took Asami's hand in hers and turned to look at the building before them. “It's Stane,” she said darkly.

 

Stark lifted his faceplate, staring at her, round-eyed and pale. “What?”

 

“Stane. He's alive.”

 

**

 

Stark was magnificent in his wrath.

 

Loki watched, nearly holding his breath as Stark's red-and-gold armour swerved out of the way of missiles Stane launched to his direction, and they hit a nearby building instead, raining concrete on the ground.

 

Barton had filed Loki in on Stark's history in detail, but he'd not known Obadiah Stane had been behind the misuse of Stark weapons this time as well. Stane was in a large grey armour, all brute force and none of the elegance of Stark's. Perhaps Stane wouldn't have been as well prepared, had Stark made any effort to hide his approach; instead of stealth Stark had, upon realising Stane's involvement, reduced third of the building hiding the man to rubble.

 

Stane had dozens of guards, whom he'd ordered to fight the people from the other universe. The women stood side-by-side using size and physical strength against their opponents, while the man called his Earth-Force to help him. Bullets seemed to have little effect on the women, which Stane's men had realised, some of them choosing to attempt to flee, but they were soon surrounded by ground that rose up to capture them.

 

Loki paid them all mere scraps of attention. He was tempted to further observe the Earth-Force, but the blue-skinned giant of a woman made him uneasy. The skin tone was off, lighter than that of Jotnar, but it was a reminder he did not relish.

 

However, he was much more interested in Stark in any case. Stane's armour may have been a crude replica of Stark's, but it still seemed to be impenetrable by Stark's weapons. Loki was intrigued to see how Stark would handle the man. The woman he was fighting with had a connection to metal, which she could have used to strip Stane of his armour had Stark requested it, but Stark clearly wished to defeat Stane himself. He had a hunger for vengeance that Loki well understood.

 

What happened was nothing Loki could have foreseen. Stark made a sharp turn in the air and shot down, Stane following him. The red-and-gold armour landed on the deserted street below, and as soon as it did, the reckless mortal stepped out of it, only light clothing shielding his fragile body, the same way as when he'd faced Loki in his tower. He was vulnerable to Stane's attack. Despite his understanding of Stark's desire for personal vengeance, Loki readied his magic for shifting them both away from the battle. However, there was no need. In his arrogance, Stane did not take the opening, instead halting in the air and removing the helmet.

 

“So, you give up then?” he said with a grin. “How typical.”

 

Stark smiled, dark and angry, and oh, Loki couldn't wait to have him.

 

“What's typical is that you keep underestimating me.” Stark reached for some controls on his wrists, there was a pulse of light and pressure, and Stane's armour was suddenly falling and crashing down to the ground. It became almost eerily quiet, most of the background hum of the city deadening around them as lights and billboards flickered out. Loki, however, had his attention on Stark, who was marching towards Stane. The grey armour had not been damaged much by the fall, but the man was trapped inside it, cursing and calling for his men, which was rather futile, considering how preoccupied they were with losing to Stark's allies.

 

“Korra!” Stark called, and the muscled woman came running. Her friends were more than capable of detaining the rest of Stane's men.

 

“Yeah?” Her gaze darkened when she glanced at Stane.

 

“You remember Pepper? You talked to her when you first came looking for me.”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Good. Go to her, my phone didn't survive the EMP. She has an office in the Tower, JARVIS will instruct her on which guards not to use. SHIELD is useless so we'll lock him up in the Tower until whatever trial he gets.”

 

The woman nodded. “Be right back.”

 

Stane yelled insults after her, something about having helped her. Loki was tired of listening to his useless words, so he silenced the man with a wave of his hand.

 

“What the hell?” Stark said, then startled when Loki shifted next to him and allowed himself to been seen. “Fuck, you're like a pop-up book from hell.”

 

“Is that any way to thank me for rendering him quiet?”

 

“Ah, that explains it. Goddamn magic,” Stark griped, but didn't ask Loki to lift the spell.

 

“You're welcome.”

 

“C'mon, distract me, Princess of Darkness, so that I don't go and punch his face in.”

 

Loki tilted his head curiously. “Too heroic to avenge yourself? And such a speech you gave me, too.”

 

Stark glared at him, but the brown eyes were not filled with the kind of hatred he clearly harboured for Stane. Loki enjoyed being the centre of the man's attention.

 

“He'll be sentenced for the things he's done,” Stark said. “Hurting him won't achieve anything.”

 

“Oh, but you want him to hurt. You want him to _suffer_.” Loki could read the answer clearly on Stark's face, and he let dark purple magic emanate from his hands and seep towards Stane.

 

“What are you doing?” Stark demanded, alarmed.

 

Loki smiled. “What else are gods for than granting wishes? Worry not, he will suffer, but it won't kill him. Even as he prays for Death to claim him.”

 

Stark was staring with round-eyed fascination as the magic spread over Stane's face and his mouth opened in a muted scream. “I didn't ask for this,” Stak protested weakly.

 

Loki stepped closer to him, feeling Stark's muscles tense as he murmured in his ear. “Which is why you can stop it at any time. You merely need to _wish_ for his suffering to end.”

 

Stark opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. Stane continued to scream silently.

 

Loki hummed. “I did not think so. Farewell, Tony Stark. I shall return for that drink you owe me.”

 

**

 

“Asami, come over here?” Bolin yelled from inside the building. He sounded excited. Asami left Korra with Stark's people who were arresting Stane, and hurried to a large hole in the wall, crouching to get inside.

 

“What is it?”

 

Bolin grinned. “Look! In the ceiling, there.”

 

“Oh!” Asami said, surprised. “It's the portal!”

 

“I was wondering about that,” Bolin said. “We came out near here in the first place, but there was no portal afterwards. I mean, Stark could've probably help us get home, and I'm sure Mako would've made Varrick come after us eventually, but the return trip was still always kind of a weak point in our plan.”

 

“You're right. We should go tell Korra. I can't wait to go home now that we're pretty much done here.”

 

Bolin agreed and followed her out, sneaking curious looks at her. “So, what's going on between you and Korra anyway?”

 

Asami sat down on the ground, leaning against the broken wall. She felt her lips stretch into a smile. “I really like her.”

 

“Yeah, that's sort of obvious. Did something happen with you?”

 

“Kind of.” She lowered her voice as she saw Korra walking towards them. Korra was back to her usual size, and Asami absently wondered if she would also return to normal at some point. She hoped so, even if she kind of liked her larger and stronger blue body. “We haven't really had time to talk about it, but I think I'd really like to be able to call her my girlfriend.”

 

Bolin made a squeal of excitement and practically jumped on her, squeezing her tightly and startling a laughter out of her. “I'm not too big to hug then, am I?”

 

“If Korra's managed, I will too.” Bolin waggled his eyebrows. “Not in the same way though.”

 

“I should hope not,” Korra commented, apparently having heard the tail end of their conversation. Asami laughed. Bolin mimed that his lips were sealed, and Asami smiled at him. It wouldn't have mattered really if he'd told Korra, but Asami sort of wanted to ask her when they were alone together.

 

“Bolin found the portal back home,” she said instead.

 

“That's great! Good work, Bolin.”

 

“Thanks. You ready to go home soon? I kind of want to say bye to the team first, the Avengers I mean. You didn't really have time to properly meet them, but Thor and Steve especially are really nice guys.”

 

“Isn't Thor leaving with his brother quite soon too?” Asami asked.

 

“Um, I actually heard something when I went to talk to Stark's assistant,” Korra said. “Loki had escaped the SHIELD cell. They had a recording but it had been wiped out so they hadn't found out how. But Thor is going to stay and try to catch him again, and this time take him back to where they're from.”

 

“Do you think they'll need help with that?” Bolin asked.

 

Asami felt a pang of disappointment at the thought of staying for much longer, but Korra shook her head. “Stark destroyed the last of his army. Even if he attacks again, it shouldn't be as destructive.”

 

“Good.” Bolin grinned. “I want to know how Pabu and Mako are doing.”

 

Asami reached for Korra's hand and smiled at her. “We're going home soon.”

 

Korra looked rather adorably flustered as she smiled back. “Yeah.”

 

**

 

“Sir, Miss Potts has requested I remind you of your meeting with Agent Coulson in three hours.”

 

“Three? What time is it?”

 

“Five o'clock in the morning, Sir.”

 

“Huh.” Tony sat on the couch and sipped on his scotch – fifth or sixth, JARVIS would've no doubt known – staring at the Loki-shaped hole in his living room floor. “Saving the world and not even a day off?” He wasn't going to mention Obie, wasn't going to think of it, wasn't about to touch it with a ten-foot pole. “You can give a message to Agent, tell him I'm unavailable.”

 

“And Miss Potts?” JARVIS asked, sounding somewhat disapproving. Tony ignored that.

 

“Her, too,” Tony said and knocked back the rest of the scotch.

 

“As you wish, Sir.”

 

He poured himself another glass, getting up to walk to the balcony. The railings were fucked and there was glass everywhere from the broken window. But the view of New York was even more depressing, with the destroyed buildings and roads and cars. People were already rushing around the streets, a few taxis tried to manoeuvrer around the debris. There were groups doing clean-up, Tony would bet that Cap was somewhere amongst them, maybe Thor, too. They'd gone with the Spy Twins to stay in SHIELD quarters, but Tony had gotten Banner to stay for a few days – which he planned to turn into more – so he won. It didn't much feel like victory.

 

Tony scowled and turned his back on New York, about to head back inside, but instead stumbled back in surprise. “Fuck, warn a guy, will you?”

 

Loki spread his hands apart and gave him a smile that on anybody else would have looked innocent. On Loki it had the exact opposite effect, made his heart beat faster with adrenaline and cleared his head.

 

“My apologies,” Loki said.

 

Tony snorted and made a beeline for the bar. To get past him, Tony had to walk uncomfortably close to Loki, who of course made no move to get out of the way. “Ever heard of the concept of personal space?”

 

Loki followed and leaned gracefully against the bar, barely a feet away as Tony poured them drinks. “And what is fun about that?” he asked. Loki's eyes bored into Tony's as he raised his glass and took a sip, then licked the scotch off his bottom lip. Heat flared in the bottom of Tony's stomach, the irresistible pull of danger and desire.

 

This was such a bad idea. Not that he'd ever let that stop him before.

 

“Nothing. Nothing fun about that,” Tony answered, his hand fisting in Loki's shirt and pulling him in. He was hyper-aware of the strength of the body under those clothes, but Loki came easily, arms bracketing Tony against the bar as he leaned down. The look in Loki's eyes was dark, he looked at Tony like he wanted to devour him. However, the kiss was surprisingly careful, lips warm and firm on Tony's like a request, like a seduction.

 

This wasn't what Tony had been expecting. His heart was pounding in his chest, his hands grasping at Loki's clothes, trying to pull him closer. He bit at Loki's lips, breaking the kiss to growl. “C'mon, god of flirting, don't hold back on me now.”

 

Loki's eyes flashed, and a sharp grin rose on his face. “Oh, I shall make you scream, Stark.”

 

Tony's response got lodged in his throat as the world warped around him, and then Loki's hands were pushing him backwards. Tony drew a startled breath as his back hit a bed – and not his own, based on the the surroundings. “Okay, what did I tell you about warning a guy? And mind telling me where the hell we are?”

 

Loki crawled on top of him, trapping his wrists with one hand and looking like a big cat about to toy with its prey. His fingers spread over Tony's chest, his palm resting directly on top of the arc reactor. Tony once again questioned the sanity of his life choices, but then Loki dug his nails into the fabric and pulled, ripping his shirt off like it was nothing, and fuck that was hot.

 

“Why waste time discussing irrelevant details, when there are so many better things I could be doing with my mouth?” Loki leaned down to demonstrate some of those things on Tony's chest and neck and yeah, Tony was so totally on board. He spread his legs and wrapped them around Loki's hips, pulling the god down and shamelessly grinding against him. It was good, but Tony wasn't about to settle for good.

 

“C'mon, lose the trousers.”

 

“Impatient, are we?” Loki commented, the bastard, and immediately put his mouth back on Tony's throat, sucking another bruise on the skin. Tony's gasp became a moan when he felt skin on skin, _fucking magic_ , but Tony would let it slide just this once. He wanted to touch, but Loki's grip was still trapping his wrists against the mattress, so he clung to Loki's hips with his thighs and arched up, his cock brushing against Loki's, grinning at Loki's sharp inhale. The god narrowed his eyes and pushed back, his weight pinning Tony into the bed, their erections pressed against each other. Tony tried to rub against Loki to gain friction, but it only made him growl in frustration.

 

“Planning to move?”

 

Loki smirked, the fingers of his free hand brushing Tony's cheek in an incongruously gentle caress. “Worry not, Stark, I find you pleasing and you shall have your reward.”

 

“You know, that arrogance of yours? Really not attractive.”

 

Loki drew back, slid his hand down Tony's chest, and wrapped his fingers around his cock, warm and tight. “Humm. Not all of you seems to agree.”

 

Tony pushed into Loki's grip, pleasure making his thighs tremble, hands finally free to reach to trace the lean muscle on Loki's shoulders and chest. As far as Tony was concerned, Loki deserved every bit of that smug look on his face, not that he was going to say that in so many words. Although his hands and eyes, greedy on Loki's body, might have done the talking for him. Loki's cock made his mouth water, hard and thick against his stomach, and Tony stared shamelessly.

 

“Yes, oh, do that,” he said when Loki took hold of his own cock with his other hand, stroking himself leisurely while he made Tony fuck his fist.

 

“You are exquisite, Stark. By far the best argument I have been offered for not destroying this realm of yours.”

 

“Less villain talk, more dirty talk.”

 

“As you wish.” Loki moved, quick and sudden, his hands grasping Tony's body and flipping him over, easy as if he weighed nothing. Loki's body covered his, chest pressed against his back and hard cock resting against his ass. Loki's teeth sought out Tony's neck, and Tony had absolutely zero complaints. Loki's fingers slid between his asscheeks, slick with probably some magical fucking lube, and Tony would've spread his legs more but he was unable to move, pinned under Loki, and that shouldn't have been as hot as it was. He felt pressure and groaned as his rim was breached, two fingers at once, pushing in.

 

Loki's breath was harsh and hot against his ear. “This is what you want, is it not? To be taken, to be fucked like a dirty whore. For me to tell you what a dirty whore you are. I can tell, Stark, your body doesn't lie. It's greedy for my touch. Do you know what you look like when I have you under me, your every fibre straining for me?”

 

For once Tony's words were deserting him, his brain alight with Loki's overwhelming presence, with Loki's fingers fucking into him, stretching him open.

 

“You look like you're starving, Stark, hungry and dirty and ripe for the taking. Like you'd do anything, like you'd beg for my cock if only you thought that would make me give it to you sooner. Your eyes are the most beautiful, though, big and brown and so _needy_ , they beg prettier than even your body can. You could bat those lashes and have kingdoms at your feet, but you're too much of a slut, you'd rather beg for my cock. You're fortunate, for I can be a benevolent god when I wish to be. So, you merely need to ask for it.”

 

Loki's words were like hot coals into his skin, and when Loki removed his fingers, Tony panted feeling overheated and empty and needy, just like Loki said he was. Begging wasn't in his nature, but Loki's fingertips were brushing at his hole, gentle and teasing and maddening, and he could tell Loki wouldn't relent, his patience would last much longer than Tony's. And Tony _wanted._

 

He grimaced, forced it through his teeth. “Please.”

 

Loki purred, that fucking bastard, and licked sweat off Tony's neck. “Good boy,” he said, probably knowing just how much it grated, just how much it turned Tony on to hear those words. But it didn't matter, because Loki was finally doing it, pushing his cock against Tony's hole, blunt pressure splitting him open, sliding in, slick and hot and intrusive. Tony moaned continuously until Loki was buried to the hilt, filling him up, one hand tight like a vice on Tony's hip and other heavy between his shoulder blades, and Tony was a trembling mess under him. His own breath sounded loud in his ears, but he stilled at a blissed gasp from Loki, quiet but _there_ , irrevocable proof that Loki was affected. It made something click in place within Tony, something he hadn't even realised he wanted.

 

“C'mon Loki,” he murmured. “Fuck me.”

 

Loki made that sound again, rocked his hips as if unintentionally, and Tony realised that was the first time he'd called Loki by his name. If that was the reaction, it was definitely worth it. “Don't hold back, Loki, show me what you've got.”

 

“Careful what you ask for, Tony.” Loki's next thrust took Tony's breath away, the following one made a yell bubble up his throat. He tried to muffle the sound with one of the pillows in Loki's-- apartment? Hotel room?-- but Loki snatched it away, driving home again. “No need to hide. I would not care to make you scream unless I wished to hear it.”

 

Tony gave up on the attempt, not that it would've done much good anyway, letting his moans and yells escape undeterred as Loki fucked him into the mattress – and never had that phrase felt quite as literal. It was overwhelming, intense, too much, and every cell of his body wanted more. Loki's breath was hot on his neck, teeth scraping marks on it, like he couldn't get enough of the taste of Tony's skin. It filled him with a heady sense of power, having Loki unleash his desire, the strength hiding in that lean body.

 

“Loki...”

 

“Fuck,” Loki hissed, and Tony felt the moment he lost control, thrusting one last time before he went still, groaning and coming inside Tony.

 

Tony felt fucked out and exhausted, but he was also hard as rock, aching with desire, especially now that he had nothing distracting him from it. He rocked his hips, trying to get friction, but Loki was too heavy on him. “Okay, time to get off me and get me off.”

 

“Why in that order?” Loki said. And he seemed to be done with teasing, because he slid his hand around Tony, easily lifting his hips up enough to wrap his fingers around Tony's cock, firm and hot. Tony moaned as Loki's grip moved down his shaft, but his voice broke into a sharp, shocked inhale as Loki rocked his hips and his cock moved inside Tony, clearly still hard.

 

“Seriously?” Tony demanded. “You're not done yet?”

 

“Pardon?” Loki sounded confused. Tony groaned.

 

“Let me guess, refractory period not a thing for gods? Do you get anything done on Asgard? Besides, you know, each other?”

 

Loki's laughter was a soft thing that made Tony feel stupidly pleased. Loki pushed in again, slower, stroking Tony in time. “Ah, no. Not a common Asgardian trait, although not much of use is accomplished on Asgard regardless. Perhaps my heritage is good for something – none of my lovers have complained, after all.”

 

“Ohhh, no-- definitely not complaining,” Tony panted as Loki's cock brushed over his prostate and a twist of Loki's fingers on his cock made his vision flare red. Loki's comment about his heritage made Tony curious as hell – okay, yes, he was in the middle of sex but _aliens_ – however, another burst of pleasure made him decide that this was really not the time to poke into that. “Jesus, keep doing what you're doing, and I won't last long. Won't get it up immediately, either, though I guess my ego's gonna take less of a hit knowing most gods wouldn't either.”

 

“Oh, I'm certain I shall find some use for you.”

 

“I was so worried,” Tony quipped, but then Loki tightened his grip and thrust in, rendering him unable to do more than moan. Loki's pace grew steadily, and Tony felt tension build in his body, pleasure climbing until another twist of Loki's wrist pushed him tumbling over the edge, making his cock pulse and spill all over Loki's hand and the bed.

 

“That's it, Tony, give it all to me.” Loki's growl was possessive, satisfied, and it travelled right into Tony's groin.

 

“Fuck,” Tony panted, trembling with his release, his muscles feeling like jelly. He felt Loki pull out, but he hardly cared until he heard a chocked-up groan from behind him and felt Loki come in warm spurts over his ass and thighs.

 

Tony rolled over, looking Loki up and down. He hadn't really had time to properly see Loki naked, but he was enjoying the view now, Loki's skin shiny with sweat, eyes half-lidded, his lips parted in pleasure. Tony was hit with a desire to see Loki come, see his face when he lost control, but he pushed it away. Repeat performances not really his thing, probably not Loki's either.

 

Tony grinned at Loki and licked his lips suggestively. “I thought you said you were planning to find use for me.”

 

Loki raised an eyebrow. “I did. Although I can go again, of course, if you wish.”

 

“Oh, enough with the bragging already,” Tony said. Loki laughed, the bastard. He was attractive with genuine amusement on his face, even if it was on Tony's expense. Tony wanted to taste the laughter off his lips.

 

Yeah, not a good path to go down.

 

“I need the toilet.” Tony shimmied up the bed and out from between Loki's legs. The room and bathroom both looked like an expensive hotel, he'd need to open the curtains when he got the chance.

 

Tony got in for a quick shower, getting the sweat and spunk off himself. The mirror showed mussed hair, flustered cheeks, and more hickeys than he'd had since he was a teenager. He strolled back into the bedroom with a towel around his waist and some of his balance restored.

 

“Are you a vampire or something, is that your secret heritage-- wait why are you dressed?” Tony said, then could've slapped himself. He didn't know why he felt surprised. “You didn't shower,” he finished lamely.

 

“Magic, Stark.”

 

Right. Tony strode to the bed and threw on his clothes, which had magically appeared in a pile, undamaged. He turned back, sort of expecting Loki to be gone, but instead Loki had stalked closer, once again standing n Tony's space. He supposed it was slightly less creepy now, given everything. “Gonna magic me back to the Tower?”

 

Loki smirked. “You're learning.”

 

Loki took his hand, the necessity of which he had only a moment to wonder about before the world warped again. Tony had to catch his breath for a few moments, leaning against the bar Loki had brought them back to before he realised Loki hadn't let go. “Didn't think we were quite at the hand-holding stage yet, dear. Or would be ever, really.”

 

Loki leaned down as if to kiss him, and Tony felt his breath stutter. This was way off the script. But instead of kissing him, Loki whispered against his lips. “I don't think I ever finished that drink, dear.”

 

Loki pulled his hand away, but before he could teleport, Tony gave him a quick peck on the lips. The next moment he was alone in his living room, smirking at the surprise he'd seen flicker across Loki's face.

 

He looked at the Loki-shaped hole in the floor. Maybe he'd keep it as it was.

 

**

 

“You should come and visit again, kid. We can always use a good man.” The Captain clapped Bolin on the shoulder. Thor was less restrained, and Korra muffled a laugh as Bolin was grabbed into a massive bear-hug. The Captain turned to Korra and Asami, who were waiting near the portal. “Thanks for all the help with Loki. Even if he escaped, we stopped the invasion.”

 

“You're welcome,” Korra replied. “We got what we came for.”

 

The Captain frowned and glanced at Stark, but thankfully didn't pick up their argument about Stane and how Stark hadn't asked the team for help. Korra could understand his annoyance, but she didn't really care as long as Stane was locked up securely, and Stark seemed to have that taken care of.

 

“Okay, I'm good to go.” Bolin walked to them, clasping Korra's hand.

 

Asami put her large blue hand on top of theirs, smiling at Korra. “Ready?”

 

“Yeah, let's do this.” She gave a wave to the people gathered around them, and they stepped under the portal.

 

The sensation grabbed them right away, this time, maybe because they had already used the portal before. She felt weightless, in a dizzying way, and fell on her knees as soon as her feet hit the desert ground.

 

“Whoa! Korra? Bolin? Wha-- Asami, is that you? What happened?”

 

Korra looked up to Mako, who was helping Bolin up, but had frozen to stare. Asami's arm wrapped around Korra, who leaned into her gratefully. She could feel Asami's laughter against her.

 

“It's a long story.”

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This story took over my brain, but in a very enjoyable way. Please let me know if you liked it!


End file.
